Lav Care Services - East of Anglia, in Newmarket, placed in special measures by the Care Quality Commission

A care service has been placed in special measures by the Care Quality Commission following ‘ineffective leadership’ and a failure to provide ‘basic standards’.

The independent regulator has taken the action against Lav Care Services - East of Anglia, which has an office in Exning Road, Newmarket, after its inspectors rated the site inadequate following an inspection which ran from November 21 to December 9

The domiciliary and supported living care service supports people with a learning disability, autistic people, older people and those living with complex mental and physical healthcare needs.

A spokesperson for Lav Care Services - East of Anglia said they found and submitted factual inaccuracies in relation to the CQC findings.

They said: “Our management is adequately trained and have adequate experience to manage the service.

“Our service is safe and remains safe and our quality assurance activities have always tallied positive results.”

The CQC’s inspection, which was its first of the care service, was said to have been prompted by concerns people shared with the regulator about its management.

Following the inspection, the overall rating for the service, as well as the areas of safe and well-led, were rated as inadequate.

The areas of caring, responsive and effective were rated as requires improvement.

Hazel Roberts, the CQC’s deputy director of operations in the East of England, said: “When we visited this service, it was extremely disappointing to see how ineffective leadership had directly contributed to poor care.

“We found leaders hadn’t always investigated or learned when things went wrong and didn’t always listen to concerns raised by staff.

“Staff lacked training on how to care for autistic people and people with a learning disability. People weren't being supported by staff who had the right skills and knowledge to meet their needs safely.

“People weren't always empowered to make decisions important to them. For example, we saw people being moved over 20 miles away from where they lived, without proper consultation or clear record of consent.

“This is simply not acceptable, people should be at the heart of decisions about their care and where they live.”

Ms Roberts further said the service failed to provide basic standards of safe and dignified care, referencing one person who had been left without heating and hot water for several weeks, which was only resolved after inspectors intervened.

However, the CQC report said staff worked well with other health and social care professionals such as community nurses, GP and social workers when needed.

During the inspection, it was found that people’s care records were inconsistent and lacked detail, meaning staff did not always have the information they needed to provide safe or appropriate care.

Other issues flagged included care plans which lacked essential detail for people with complex health needs and CCTV was being used in shared areas of people’s supported living homes without their knowledge or agreement.

The CQC has kept the service in special measures, meaning it will be kept under review and closely monitored to ensure people are receiving safe care.

The Lav Care Services spokesperson said they had taken rapid action to address some of the issues raised and make improvements.

Since the inspection, they have engaged external consultants to assist the care service with areas of improvement and provided an action plan to stakeholders where they have completed tasks.

They also hold regular meetings with local authorities they work with to provide up-to-date progress with the care they provide.